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Old 07-13-2012, 01:59 PM   #9
Chris Li
 
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Dojo: Aikido Sangenkai
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Re: More on Aikido and the Floating Bridge of Heaven

Quote:
David McNamara wrote: View Post
Hi Chris

thank you for the link. I think I am getting stuck on semantics. Ueshiba talks of standing on the floating bridge of heaven but what he describes is more like after Izanagi and Izanami have descended to earth and are circling the pole, procreating and creating (takemusu, if you will). I was strongly reminded of this by the youtube video of Mifune performing judo kata that David Orange posted on the Way of the cross thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBv2lJdH7vc (see third and fourth forms)

As I say, I think I am getting caught up in semantics and looking for distinctions that aren't there, and Ueshiba is referring to the whole story (or that this second part of the story is a metaphorical repitition of the first).
Yes, it's easy to get too literal, and you have to remember that this is all a creation myth used by Ueshiba to explain something that it probably wasn't intended to explain originally (although he gets most things to fit pretty nicely).

Best,

Chris

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